China 2011

Byline: Ilhan Niaz China is a statistician's paradise. Articles about China typically include figures relating to the country's awe-inspiring economic growth, international trade, currency reserves and growing international clout as the new "Workshop of the world" - a phrase once proudly used to describe the United Kingdom. Suffice it to say that barring extraordinary events, the year to come will produce another set of impressive statistics. However, China is much more than economic statistics. It is a society in a delicate and potentially dangerous phase of modernization that is grappling with severe environmental problems, socioeconomic inequalities and the proximate possibility of political and strategic destabilization. 2011 is likely to be a difficult year for China though the problems likely to be encountered are not beyond the ability of the Chinese leadership to handle.